That only goes so far though. You don't rank near the top of the league in yards per attempt and total yardage without some talent in the secondary regardless of your defensive line. You can sit back on your couch and pretend it's super easy for defenders in the secondary to play their role as long as the defensive line is stout up front, but you still need some talent to defend against the pass. Yeah, and after Justin Smith went down who did we face?

At Seahawks: 170 passing yards given up

Arizona: 207 yards given up

Packers: 268 yards given up

At Falcons: 396

Ravens: 274

The 49ers had four out of five teams be playoff opponents, with two of them highly oriented around the pass, in passing league. Only one team went over 300 yards. Each game also had an interception on the 49ers defense except against the Ravens. So, we can stop with the "secondary is atrocious" card, which is what you initially stated. I guess now they're mediocre since you changed the script. Probably after you realized how stupid your first comment was.

Wilson threw 4 TD passes in the first game you mentioned. Never mind the low yardage total. That doesn't prove your point at all. That was a terrible defensive game by the entire 49ers defense. A lot of it had to do with the secondary. Just as much as the front 7.

The Cardinals passing offense is atrocious. Putting up over 200 through the air was a good week for them.

Packers put up 31, but against Aaron Rodgers... Holding him to 2 TDs and under 300 is about all you can ask for. They were a very one dimensional offense last year and if you contained the pass, then you shut down their entire offense. The 49ers defense actually matches up very well against Green Bay.

Matt Ryan and the Falcons shredded their secondary. Nearly 400 yards, which you glossed over, and 3 passing TDs, which you failed to mention. That's terrible. The only positive was the 24 points allowed, which is nothing to brag about.

Flacco was brilliant in the postseason and the 49ers defense had no answer for him or all their offensive weapons. Nearly 300 passing yards and 3 TDs? Pretty bad day. In the Super Bowl? Even more glaring. Especially when consider their offense lost a possession due to a kick return. It seemed like any time the Ravens needed to covert, they did. And they did it against the secondary.

The 49ers biggest issue is the back end of the secondary. Posting statistical yardage totals like it means anything or disproves what someone else said is a waste of time and completely devoid of common sense. The poster didn't say they were atrocious. You did. He said they were mediocre. Which they are. After losing Goldson, they might have regressed slightly. And leaning on an aging Justin Smith, who's still one of the most dominant players in the NFL, should give someone pause if they realize how important he is to that defense (and coming off an injury). Without Justin Smith no one is talking about Aldon Smith unless one of his parties gets out of control. That's how good Justin is. But I'm sure you know that.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Wright

I honestly believe Reggie Bush has turned into exactly the type of player I envisioned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PossibleCabbage

I would like it if there were more successful black Quarterbacks in the NFL...

Quote:

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

iamcandian lives in a cabin in the Yukon Territory and writes letters to railroad barons about the price of hard tack.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorsBullsFan

I could possibly see Matthew Stafford Dropping out of the 1st round

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRavens

Tahj Boyd has the best fundamentals of any QB in this class, I think his game translates great to the NFL.

Wilson threw 4 TD passes in the first game you mentioned. Never mind the low yardage total. That doesn't prove your point at all. That was a terrible defensive game by the entire 49ers defense. A lot of it had to do with the secondary. Just as much as the front 7.

The Cardinals passing offense is atrocious. Putting up over 200 through the air was a good week for them.

Packers put up 31, but against Aaron Rodgers... Holding him to 2 TDs and under 300 is about all you can ask for. They were a very one dimensional offense last year and if you contained the pass, then you shut down their entire offense. The 49ers defense actually matches up very well against Green Bay.

Matt Ryan and the Falcons shredded their secondary. Nearly 400 yards, which you glossed over, and 3 passing TDs, which you failed to mention. That's terrible. The only positive was the 24 points allowed, which is nothing to brag about.

Flacco was brilliant in the postseason and the 49ers defense had no answer for him or all their offensive weapons. Nearly 300 passing yards and 3 TDs? Pretty bad day. In the Super Bowl? Even more glaring. Especially when consider their offense lost a possession due to a kick return. It seemed like any time the Ravens needed to covert, they did. And they did it against the secondary.

The 49ers biggest issue is the back end of the secondary. Posting statistical yardage totals like it means anything or disproves what someone else said is a waste of time and completely devoid of common sense. The poster didn't say they were atrocious. You did. He said they were mediocre. Which they are. After losing Goldson, they might have regressed slightly. And leaning on an aging Justin Smith, who's still one of the most dominant players in the NFL, should give someone pause if they realize how important he is to that defense (and coming off an injury). Without Justin Smith no one is talking about Aldon Smith unless one of his parties gets out of control. That's how good Justin is. But I'm sure you know that.

Why would we forget the yardage total? Especially when you are using it yourself in other games to try and prove your point? The Seahawks killed the 49ers on the ground in that game which really helped open up the pass. Wilson wasn't exposing the secondary in between the 20's. He was dynamite in the redzone, which is great. But let's not pretend he lit up like Warren Moon or something.

And Rodgers didn't have a good game in the playoffs. Let's not put lipstick on a pig. He had a touchdown and a pick and struggled a good portion of the day. He padded his stats with a garbage time touchdown in the final minute of the contest. The Packers were actually running the ball well with Harris that game too, but went away from the run too early, paniced, and put it all in Rodgers hands.

The only two games out of the last five that the 49ers really struggled in were the final two games against the Falcons and the Ravens. They seemed to have no answer for the pass in those two games.

Wow you really are terrible at reading comprehension. The poster used word atrocious in his initial statement regarding the 49ers secondary. And you're lecturing me on common sense?

The Rams depth still is a big weakness on D. I love their starting lineup, but beyond that there's very few guys I really like, that's why I think health will be so crucial to their defense next year. They don't have the guys to keep throwing out there if injuries strike like Seattle and SanFran can.

That said I do really love where the offense is, the OL should give Bradford time not to run for his life for hte first time in his pro-career, he finally has weapons, although they're still inexperienced, and they should even be able to run the ball with teams having to worry about the Rams spreading em out.

__________________
BK

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcheTen

JPP is a better and more productive player than Brandon Graham

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaddon41_80

Is Shaun Hill a top 10 QB? Definitely not. Is he a top 20 one? Almost certainly.

Why would we forget the yardage total? Especially when you are using it yourself in other games to try and prove your point? The Seahawks killed the 49ers on the ground in that game which really helped open up the pass. Wilson wasn't exposing the secondary in between the 20's. He was dynamite in the redzone, which is great. But let's not pretend he lit up like Warren Moon or something.

I'm not forgetting the passage yardage. But why would we act like yardage total means everything? Giving up 4 passing TDs? That has no bearing on anything? Interesting, but ultimately wrong. The 49ers defense could have stopped them from scoring instead of taking your line of defense. Forcing a FG attempt would have done wonders. AND reduced the yardage total. Maybe they could have made the game competitive. Who knows?

Quote:

And Rodgers didn't have a good game in the playoffs. Let's not put lipstick on a pig. He had a touchdown and a pick and struggled a good portion of the day. He padded his stats with a garbage time touchdown in the final minute of the contest. The Packers were actually running the ball well with Harris that game too, but went away from the run too early, paniced, and put it all in Rodgers hands.

I agree with most of this. The Harris comment is more allusion than fact. He had one run in that game that you could call running the ball well. But the panic had more to do with the turnover on special teams and the atrocious Packers defense, which got progressively worse throughout the game as the 49ers just wore them out. That defense had to be on the field for 11+ minutes in the 4th QT. Rodgers did about as much as he could. But the 49ers matchup well against GB.

Quote:

The only two games out of the last five that the 49ers really struggled in were the final two games against the Falcons and the Ravens. They seemed to have no answer for the pass in those two games.

Oh ok. So what kind of answers did they have for Russell Wilson?

Anyway, all this is moving away from the original point, which was true and accurate. I missed the atrocious comment before the one I quoted. I only saw him call them mediocre, which they are.

Without Justin Smith and with an injured Justin Smith, the defense faltered down the stretch, especially when we're comparing them to the defense with a healthy Justin Smith before that. The run defense wasn't quite the same, the pass rush was much worse and the pass defense had more bad moments than good. Whether you want to acknowledge that last part or not is entirely up to you, but that's how their season ended. They looked much improved on offense (more explosive) and much worse on defense (no pass rush and mediocre to bad pass defense).

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Wright

I honestly believe Reggie Bush has turned into exactly the type of player I envisioned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PossibleCabbage

I would like it if there were more successful black Quarterbacks in the NFL...

Quote:

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

iamcandian lives in a cabin in the Yukon Territory and writes letters to railroad barons about the price of hard tack.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorsBullsFan

I could possibly see Matthew Stafford Dropping out of the 1st round

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRavens

Tahj Boyd has the best fundamentals of any QB in this class, I think his game translates great to the NFL.

I'm not forgetting the passage yardage. But why would we act like yardage total means everything? Giving up 4 passing TDs? That has no bearing on anything? Interesting, but ultimately wrong. The 49ers defense could have stopped them from scoring instead of taking your line of defense. Forcing a FG attempt would have done wonders. AND reduced the yardage total. Maybe they could have made the game competitive. Who knows?

The hell? You just said nevermind the low yardage total, i.e. "forget". Those were your words.

I never said it meant everything. Or even implied it did. I just insinuated that it should be kept in mind and taken into consideration, like everything else in that game. Which is why I gave credit where it was due to Wilson in the redzone where he was most effective with his passing. That and his ability to run. Where did I say giving up four passing touchdowns had no barring on anything?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBanger

I agree with most of this. The Harris comment is more allusion than fact. He had one run in that game that you could call running the ball well. But the panic had more to do with the turnover on special teams and the atrocious Packers defense, which got progressively worse throughout the game as the 49ers just wore them out. That defense had to be on the field for 11+ minutes in the 4th QT. Rodgers did about as much as he could. But the 49ers matchup well against GB.

Harris had more than one good run in that game. Especially on their first offensive scoring drive. Harris averaged almost 5 yards a carry and had a few runs of at least five yards or more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBanger

Oh ok. So what kind of answers did they have for Russell Wilson?

More like what answers did the 49ers defense have for Marshawn Lynch and the rushing attack that went for over 170 yards.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBanger

Anyway, all this is moving away from the original point, which was true and accurate. I missed the atrocious comment before the one I quoted. I only saw him call them mediocre, which they are.

True and accurate in your opinion, sure. Mediocre in your opinion, sure. Yes you did miss the comment. You weren't paying attention. You were more concerned with saving face and trying to act hard and bring the hammer down in your opening statement to me, but you failed with that error.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBanger

Without Justin Smith and with an injured Justin Smith, the defense faltered down the stretch, especially when we're comparing them to the defense with a healthy Justin Smith before that. The run defense wasn't quite the same, the pass rush was much worse and the pass defense had more bad moments than good. Whether you want to acknowledge that last part or not is entirely up to you, but that's how their season ended. They looked much improved on offense (more explosive) and much worse on defense (no pass rush and mediocre to bad pass defense).

Whether I want to acknowledge/agree with your perspective on something subjective definitely is up to me. This is obvious.

The Rams depth still is a big weakness on D. I love their starting lineup, but beyond that there's very few guys I really like, that's why I think health will be so crucial to their defense next year. They don't have the guys to keep throwing out there if injuries strike like Seattle and SanFran can.

That said I do really love where the offense is, the OL should give Bradford time not to run for his life for hte first time in his pro-career, he finally has weapons, although they're still inexperienced, and they should even be able to run the ball with teams having to worry about the Rams spreading em out.

I think they have a bit more depth than you think, while I agree that they are not stacked like the 49ers. Cudjo, Sims and Hayes were all strong contributors on the DLine last year. They also have some depth in the secondary with Trumaine Johnson, Brandon McGee, and Matt Daniels. Where they still are pretty thin is at linebacker. But I think a lot of teams are trending towards not having numbers in their linebacking corps because they are in nickel and dime packages so often anyway.

All in all, I think they are another year and another draft away from really making noise, but I still think they come away from this season with a winning record. I also think their defense is at or near the top 10 in the league this season.

Brilliant letting one of Scott Pioli's henchmen have his own team to ruin. One of the premier GM jobs in the NFL and it gets handed to a stupid **** who makes three facepalm moves for every good one. Awesome. Just like handing a new Mercedes to a 16 year old girl who's already been in three wrecks.

How do you figure that Seattle misses the playoffs? While the NFC west isn't the easiest division in the world and Seattle plays some pretty good teams this year, with their talent and depth plus a sizable home field advantage there is no way they don't at least get a wild card spot.

I think SEA is a 11-12 win team this year, but i don't think its out of the realm of possibility they miss the playoffs either. They need to get better on the road. If teams like the 49ers, Rams, Bucs, Vikings, and Saints can win in Seattle and they still struggle on the road, then they're in trouble.

In the end though, i have them at about 11-5 or so, without going through their schedule on a game by game basis.

I think SEA is a 11-12 win team this year, but i don't think its out of the realm of possibility they miss the playoffs either. They need to get better on the road. If teams like the 49ers, Rams, Bucs, Vikings, and Saints can win in Seattle and they still struggle on the road, then they're in trouble.

In the end though, i have them at about 11-5 or so, without going through their schedule on a game by game basis.

Seattle's schedule is very odd. When you look at the teams they play, you say WOW that's easy.

But their home schedule is ridiculously easy and their road slate is very tough. That means anything less than 7-1 at home is a disappointment. So a misstep at home to STL/ARI or one of the NFC South teams really sets them up for an underwhelming season.

@STL
@SF
@ARI
@CAR
@ATL
@NYG
@IND
@HOU

Then they get all their cupcakes at home. For Seattle, you'd like to get the cupcakes on the road and the tougher teams at home...

Here's the home slate...

Division
JAC
TEN
TB
MIN
NO

It's an odd sked in that the home slate is just so much easier than the road slate... and like I said, for Seattle, I'd much rather be traveling to Jacksonville/Tennessee/Tampa than Atlanta/Houston, etc.

The hell? You just said nevermind the low yardage total, i.e. "forget". Those were your words.

Right... I said never mind the low pass yards allowed when the opposing QB throws for 4 TDs. Context. Take everything I said into consideration and then connect the dots.

It's a really bad day when your pass defense is giving up 4 passing TDs. That's why I was brushing off the yardage total. Pass yards allowed no longer becomes the most important stat when your pass defense allowed 28 points through the air. Kind of a rough day, don't ya think?

But apparently we have different standards.

Quote:

I never said it meant everything. Or even implied it did. I just insinuated that it should be kept in mind and taken into consideration, like everything else in that game. Which is why I gave credit where it was due to Wilson in the redzone where he was most effective with his passing. That and his ability to run. Where did I say giving up four passing touchdowns had no barring on anything?

You did make implications. Your entire first response that I quoted made one implication after another because of the things you intentionally left out or avoided. You provided misleading stats to prove that the 49ers had an above average pass defense at the end of the season. You mentioned the Seahawks low passing total and their 1 INT forced. Sounds like a great day if you use just those stats. Why didn't you initially mention the 4 passing TDs they gave up? You mentioned everything that favored the 49ers. I wonder why.

You didn't mention Russell Wilson having any type of success until I brought up the 4 passing TDs. Then it turned into the run defense playing terrible and Russell Wilson having good success in the redzone. So you changed your tune. The run defense gets all the blame and the Russell Wilson gets all the credit for redzone efficiency, but it was a good day for the pass defense because other people were at fault or deserve a pat on the back. Which makes no sense.

Quote:

Harris had more than one good run in that game. Especially on their first offensive scoring drive. Harris averaged almost 5 yards a carry and had a few runs of at least five yards.

They played 4 meaningful offenses in their last 5 games. So we are talking about 4 games. They played well against one of them. One of four: The Packers. The Packers run offense produced an unexpected TD. Other than that? I don't know why we are talking about the Packers running game. My original point was that of the 4 good offenses they played, the pass defense only played well against the Packers. 3 out of 4 games where their pass defense was either bad or terrible? That's pretty ******* bad. And it coincides with everything the original poster was saying. If you go back and read it.

Quote:

More like what answers did the 49ers defense have for Marshawn Lynch and the rushing attack that went for over 170 yards.

More like avoiding the question. You are simply displacing blame. If we were talking about the run defense, then this would have merit. But the 49ers run defense has been one of the best, if not the best, in the NFL over the past two years. But we're not really talking about the one game over the last two years where they got manhandled.

Quote:

Whether I want to acknowledge/agree with your perspective on something subjective definitely is up to me. This is obvious.

It's not subjective. What you responded to was completely factual. You don't have to agree with it, and your bias may turn on the part of the brain that triggers denial, but the fact is that the 49ers pass defense was very mediocre late in the season and into the playoffs. A lot might have to do with the loss of Justin Smith, or Justin Smith not quite playing up to his usual standard when he returned. Which I believe to a very valid point, and a major reason why he's one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Certainly the most important player on that defense.

The teams the 49ers struggled against in 3 of their last 5 games is the barometer in which you should measure them. They are a playoff team and their weakness is pass defense. That will be attacked next postseason unless they make changes or improve that area.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Wright

I honestly believe Reggie Bush has turned into exactly the type of player I envisioned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PossibleCabbage

I would like it if there were more successful black Quarterbacks in the NFL...

Quote:

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

iamcandian lives in a cabin in the Yukon Territory and writes letters to railroad barons about the price of hard tack.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorsBullsFan

I could possibly see Matthew Stafford Dropping out of the 1st round

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRavens

Tahj Boyd has the best fundamentals of any QB in this class, I think his game translates great to the NFL.

Right... I said never mind the low pass yards allowed when the opposing QB throws for 4 TDs. Context. Take everything I said into consideration and then connect the dots.

It's a really bad day when your pass defense is giving up 4 passing TDs. That's why I was brushing off the yardage total. Pass yards allowed no longer becomes the most important stat when your pass defense allowed 28 points through the air. Kind of a rough day, don't ya think?

But apparently we have different standards.

You did make implications. Your entire first response that I quoted made one implication after another because of the things you intentionally left out or avoided. You provided misleading stats to prove that the 49ers had an above average pass defense at the end of the season. You mentioned the Seahawks low passing total and their 1 INT forced. Sounds like a great day if you use just those stats. Why didn't you initially mention the 4 passing TDs they gave up? You mentioned everything that favored the 49ers. I wonder why.

You didn't mention Russell Wilson having any type of success until I brought up the 4 passing TDs. Then it turned into the run defense playing terrible and Russell Wilson having good success in the redzone. So you changed your tune. The run defense gets all the blame and the Russell Wilson gets all the credit for redzone efficiency, but it was a good day for the pass defense because other people were at fault or deserve a pat on the back. Which makes no sense.

They played 4 meaningful offenses in their last 5 games. So we are talking about 4 games. They played well against one of them. One of four: The Packers. The Packers run offense produced an unexpected TD. Other than that? I don't know why we are talking about the Packers running game. My original point was that of the 4 good offenses they played, the pass defense only played well against the Packers. 3 out of 4 games where their pass defense was either bad or terrible? That's pretty ******* bad. And it coincides with everything the original poster was saying. If you go back and read it.

More like avoiding the question. You are simply displacing blame. If we were talking about the run defense, then this would have merit. But the 49ers run defense has been one of the best, if not the best, in the NFL over the past two years. But we're not really talking about the one game over the last two years where they got manhandled.

It's not subjective. What you responded to was completely factual. You don't have to agree with it, and your bias may turn on the part of the brain that triggers denial, but the fact is that the 49ers pass defense was very mediocre late in the season and into the playoffs. A lot might have to do with the loss of Justin Smith, or Justin Smith not quite playing up to his usual standard when he returned. Which I believe to a very valid point, and a major reason why he's one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Certainly the most important player on that defense.

The teams the 49ers struggled against in 3 of their last 5 games is the barometer in which you should measure them. They are a playoff team and their weakness is pass defense. That will be attacked next postseason unless they make changes or improve that area.

Unfortunately I don't have time to go in circles with you again. Personally I think you've misunderstood (or misread) simple information I've already reiterated several times and now you're simply making your own definitive conclusions based on my opinions essentially fulfilling what you want to hear. You believe the 49ers pass defense is average (or was it atrocious like you first misread?). Personally watching every single game these last two years, in context, I think you're completely incorrect. I'm sure you'll chalk that up to team bias, call it what you will. Just don't be surprised when the 49ers secondary plays well the majority of the time like they have the last two years. Of course I'm sure you'll use the Justin Smith card at your disposal once more to push your claims one way or the other. Not all front sevens make a secondary. The San Diego Chargers of the mid 2000's is a nice example of this as they had a pretty good front seven or quite some time, but their secondary was still average because of it, and wasn't that notable against the pass. Most teams without a pass rush will struggle in the secondary. How many don't? The Jets maybe? Pretty hard to defend the pass in a passing league with your defense isn't getting as much pressure, which happened to the 49ers down the stretch. Regardless, they made plays and turnovers within each game when it was needed, which is why despite the handicap (Smith Bros. didn't have a sack the last four games) the back-end held up all the way to the Super Bowl. Regardless of how many yards Matt Ryan threw or how many pass attempts Aaron Rodgers had. The same thing happened the year before to Drew Brees in the playoffs. The 49ers gave up a lot of yards in the air, but made the plays when they needed to be made. That's context for you.

Anyways, it will be interesting to have this conversation at the end of next season.

Good back & forth there Seattle & San Fran.
That's why I love this rivalry... would love to see you guys play 3 times this year.
One in the Wildcard round, and the 2 during the season.

I have it even right now..... just think the loss of Crabtree hurts a lot, and predicting a rash of injuries for the Niners to balance out last year's good fortune... I called it before Crabtree's Achilles snapped. I see more to come. A few big ones.....
Those things have a way of evening out usually.

Good back & forth there Seattle & San Fran.
That's why I love this rivalry... would love to see you guys play 3 times this year.
One in the Wildcard round, and the 2 during the season.

I have it even right now..... just think the loss of Crabtree hurts a lot, and predicting a rash of injuries for the Niners to balance out last year's good fortune... I called it before Crabtree's Achilles snapped. I see more to come. A few big ones.....
Those things have a way of evening out usually.

A lot of people were saying we would get the injury bug last year too. There were four notable players that were sidelined for extended time: Manningham, Williams, Hunter, and Justin Smith. Most of our players, like they have the last few seasons, have stayed healthy. I think a lot of team's strength and conditioning program has a lot to do with it sometimes as well. I believe the Miami Dolphins have stayed pretty healthy season after season with a lot of their players. The New York Giants for instance seemed to be riddled with injuries a lot. A good amount of it is still luck of course. "Predicting injuries" is simply uncertain speculation and really can't be quantified.

....strength and conditioning program has a lot to do with it sometimes as well.
....... A good amount of it is still luck of course. "Predicting injuries" is simply uncertain speculation and really can't be quantified.

Dynasties don't necessarily need great QBs to run the show. Terry Bradshaw was nothing special. He just played alongside one of the greatest defenses in NFL history.

If the Rams get the talent right on defense (and they already have a great start with Long, Brockers, Quinn, Jenkins, Laurinitis and the like), they can win Super Bowls with Bradford mostly being a game manager in the mold of Terry Bradshaw or Eli Manning.

Terry Bradshaw for that era was considered a great QB and a top five signal caller for most of the Steelers 1970s' SB runs. It's only revisionist analysis of the Steelers dynasty that decided Bradshaw was their least important player.

I've yet to see a team with a great defense without at least an offense capable of making timely big plays that won consistently.

Check the Ravens. They've been a top 5-10 defense for most of the Ray Lewis era. How many AFCC games did they appear in?? How many SBs did they win?? The Ravens have had a championship caliber D for YEARS, but if you don't have a QB nowadays you can't win it all.

Currently what I will say is that more teams seem to have QBs capable of getting the job done if the rest of their team shows up.

If Bradford plays like his draft status, the Rams have a shot to win their division. An elite QB could easily win 12 games with that Rams squad.

But my money already is looking pretty good with the early big one to Crabtree. Aside from Kaepernick, he was the most, yes #1, important guy to that offense, and he's already gone.

I would have to say that injuries are a major concern for the Seahawks as well. They were fairly fortunate injury wise last season, and they also have a lot of guys who are big injury risks who will severely handcuff their team if they go down.

Thomas is undersized and their secondary will go from elite to having big problems with the long ball without him.

Lynch is the most physical runner in the NFL, but he has a lot of carries on his legs over the last few years, and I'm not sure if Turbin is ready to carry the load if he goes down.

Wilson does a much better job than RGIII or Vick at avoiding contact, but he's still an undersized mobile QB.

They also have a pretty mediocre O-line sans 2 players, and as the Jets experienced when Mangold was out a couple of years ago, the tires can come off really quickly without Okung or Unger.

But my money already is looking pretty good with the early big one to Crabtree. Aside from Kaepernick, he was the most, yes #1, important guy to that offense, and he's already gone.

But that's only one guy on a roster of 53 players. That's like saying your luck for winning the million dollar lottery is looking up because you won 100 bucks on a scratcher.

And Crabtree the number one most important guy to our offense other than Kaepernick? Highly debatable. Especially given the talent on our offensive line, there was already rumblings about him hitting the free agent market because of the new deal he'd want...when other guys like Iupati would need a new deal as well. And this was all before he got hurt.

Don't be surprised if Crabtree isn't missed as much this upcoming season. Especially with Boldin now on the roster. Yeah it's a setback, but it's not a crippling blow, but it doesn't mean that more major injuries to key contributors are on the horizon.